10—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. Feb. 2. 1974
In this age of glass, steel, concrete
and cubical living for millions of
people, somewhere, someone still
owns the land and must use it wisely
to make it produce the food and fiber
to feed the world's cities and fac
tories and give them life. It is little
wonder that land ownership remains
a powerful factor in motivating
human behavior.
Writing in Fortune magazine Mr.
Max Ways, in an article entitled
“Land: The Boom That Really Hurts,"
explores some of the facts and fables
of land ownership, their effect on the
boom in land prices and what might
logically be done to moderate what
many feel is an excessive inflation of
land values. Fast-rising land prices
have been a fact of economic life on a
worldwide basis. Mr. Ways points out
that in the past 15 years average land
prices in the United States have risen
around 7 percent a year, where the
Consumei Pirce Index showed an
average 'annual increase of 2.7
percent. In his opinion, rapidly in
creasing land prices have been one of
the major contributors to inflation. In
the last 15 years, in many sections of
the United States, the price of land on
which to put a house has risen much
faster than the cost of building it. The
cost of land is undeniably one of the
major factors in the overhead of
farmers and ranchers, food
processors, meat packers, retailers
and supermarket operators. Thus,
the high and rising cost of land is a
direct contributor to the high and
rising cost of food. And the land boom
goes on - fueled by the vision of
“security?' by the undeniable record
of appreciation in value and by the
often-voiced contention that values
are bound to continue upward as
population pressure pushes against a
limited supply of land.
As Mr. Ways puts it, “The combined
effect of popular myth and sluggish
public policy is that when eager
buyers come to the land market, they
find reluctant sellers. And the price of
inert and insensate acres rises faster
than anything else in a civilization
where the real economic values
derive from action, from knowledge,
from judgment, from management,
from invention, and from cooperation
among people.” Security, according to
this view, for the average human
being in a technology-based, in
dustrialized society depends more on
his ability to raise his productivity, to
manage, to learn, to fit into the
organized society around him than it
does in owning a piece of land on
which he can grow potatoes. This may
be true as long as the bubble stays
inflated. But what if it bursts? The
row of potatoes might be a nice thing
to have. This is still the thought
lurking in the back of the landowner’s
mind
What about a hedge for inflation?
Just because land has always in
creased in value doesn't mean it
always will. Majority feeling for land
ownership could change, or tax
policies shift their emphasis. The
population pressure theme, Mr. Ways
suggests, is ridiculous in the United
States Still, it would be difficult to
convince some 32 percent of the
people in the US. who live in less
than 2 percent of the land area m
metropolitan centers that there is not
pressure on the land But, if you
Hie Land
Price Spiral
should drive your car along the high
ways of New York State just 50 miles
or so northwest of the center of
Manhatten Island, you would find
yourself passing through open
country, wooded mountains and small
communities that haven't changed
much in decades. Similar conditions
are found in the hinterlands around
Washington, D. C. and most of our
other metropolitan centers. If you
think there is someone standing on
every square foot of land, try driving
across the hundreds of miles of open
country, high plains and mountains of
such states as Wyoming, Colorado,
Montana and Idaho. Mr. Ways points
out that if you put the world's entire
population of some 3.7 billion people
within the borders of the United
States "... the resulting density
would be not much greater than that
of England today." Particularly
considering the birth rate decline in
the United States and other
developed countries, it appears we
will not soon be standing on top of
each other’s heads. Apparently the
population pressure against the land
is really not as bad as it has often
been painted.
Mr. Ways suggests that one of the
ways to encourage better utilization
of the land would be to change the
real estate tax policies which
presently discourage landowners
from improving or using their
holdings. Seventy percent of such
taxes are assessed against buildings,
and only 30 percent against bare
land. Mr. Ways suggests that a "...
decrease in the tax on buildings
together with an increase of the tax
on land might have the long-range
effect of slowing down the land
boom.” At the same time, it is pointed
out that more than half of the families
in America “ ... have a substantial
part of their assets in home equities."
Any drastic decline m these “ ...
values would shrink the national
credit base and have a more
traumatic effect on the economy than
a stock-market crash.”
In summing up, about all that can
be said is that land prices have in
creased more rapidly than anything
else in most countries, including the
United States. They have contributed
to the inflationary spiral, and it is
possible that land prices will not keep
on rising forever. Any public policy
designed to slow the land boom
should be gradual in nature
land values are a major portion of the
assets, owned by individual citizens.
No matter how you slice it, and ad
mitting that conditions may change, it
still looks like land is a pretty good
bet. If you own any, don’t give it away.
It will probably be worth more next
year, and who knows - it still might
be nice to have a row of potatoes.
XXX
“1 am very much alarmed at the
possibility that in the very near future
the energy crisis will force the
shutdown of businesses, widespread
unemployment, and a depression at
least as bad as that of the thirties.
Once that happens, it will be too late
to remove the barriers and allow the
utilities to do the things necessary to
provide adequate energy."-Mr.
George I. Bloom, chairman, Penn
sylvania Public Utility Commission.
. *vi r util (.t '.«n ' *'*" *»
| NOW IS
THE TIME.
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 3M-SB5l
TO CONSIDER
CORRESPONDENCE
COURCES
Penn State University
continues to offer many
helpful courses through the
mail. These courses are
given at a nominal cost and
cover various agriculture,
family living, and com
munity development sub
jects. A bulletin is available
at the local Extension Office
giving full details about all
courses. We urge more of our
local folks to consider one or
more of these courses to
become more knowledgeable
on interesting topics. They
are very practical and
provide an opportunity to
learn while performing
normal -daily obligations.
TO STORE LIVESTOCK
WASTES CAREFULLY
As more kinds and grades
of fertilizer become scarce
and more expensive, the
value of barnyard manure
begins to be more important.
Due to the large livestock
and poultry population on
many of our.local farms, it is
the feeling that some crops
may need less commercial
fertilizer if we can hold the
fertilizer ingredients in the
manure supply. Most types
of manure are higher in
nitrogen and potash and
lower in phosphorus.
Nitrogen seems to be the
scarce type of fertilizer this
spring and liberal manure
applications could improve
the situation. Producers are
urged to store the manure
out of the weather and at
tempt to hold all ingredients
until closer to spring plowing
time.
Farm Calendar
Monday, February 4
7:00 p.m. - Stoverstown 4-H
Craft Club, 4-h Center,
Bear Station.
7:30 p,m. - Meat Processors
meeting. Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster.
7:30 p.ra. - Central 4-H
tractor club meeting, 4-H
Center.
7:30 p.m. - York County 4-H
Baby Beef Show, 4-H
- Center, Bear Station.
Feb. 4-5 Northwest Agri-
Dealers Association
meeting, Leamington
Hotel, Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
Feb. 4-6 - Louisville Barrow
Show - Kentucky Fair
and Exposition Center.
Feb. 4-8 - Brucellosis
Eradication Conference,
Chicago, Howard
Johnson Motor Lodge,
Schiller Park, 111.
Tuesday, February 5
9:30 a.m. - 9th Annual
Southeastern Dairy
Conference, Guernsey
Sales Pavillion.
12 Noon - Jugger’s Dairy
Processor Conference,
University Park, Penn
State, Feb. 5-7.
7:00 p.m. - Learn by Doing 4-
H Club meeting at the
home of Linda Coons,
York RDS.
7:30 p.m. - Manheim Young
Farmer Farm Wiring
M* f « « « * <» r»* w r ~ -m
$
TO PRUNE TREES
Nearly all kinds of fruit
and shade trees may be
safely pruned during
February and March; this is
the period before the trees
break dormancy and the best
time to make any cuts. Most
orchard men will prune
during late winter or early
spring; shade trees often
need to be pruned to
maintain proper size and
shape, and to remove any
damaged branches.
However, this is not the time
to prune or shape most
evergreens such as pines,
yews, junipers, etc.; this can
be done during May or June.
The spruce trees may be
shaped or pruned during the
winter months and until late
March in this part of the
state. Sharp pruning shears
or saw may be used and all
large cuts (one inch or more)
should be painted with tree
paint to prevent rotting.
TO TRANSFER SILAGE
Many local livestock or
dairy producers may have
extra silage in horizontal or
bunker silos with the plan of
transferring it into the
upright silo toward spring.
Tliis may be done safely but
there will be less heating and
loss of feed nutrients if it is
done during colder weather
rather than later this spring.
Also, the job should be done
as quickly as possible and
there is no need of adding
any water or other preser
vative. Any kind of silage
may be moved and should be
just as good out of the tower
silo as it would have been if
fed from the horizontal
structure. Air temperatures
of under 50 degrees when
moved are desirable.
Seminar 5, Manheim vo
ag department.
7:30 p.m. - Farm Income Tax
hints and Penn State
Farm Records program,
Oxford High School vo-ag
room.
Feb. 5-6 - New England
Grain and Feed Council,
Marriott Hotel, Newton,
Mass.
Wednesday, February 6
1:00 p,m. - Farm Income Tax
hints and Penn State
Farm Records program.
Honey Brook Fire Hall,
rear meeting room.
7:30 p.m. - York County 4-H
Council meeting, 4-H
Center.
7:30 p.m. - York County 4-H
Leaders meeting, 4-H
Center.
Feb. 6-8 - National Livestock
Feeders Association
meeting, Muehlebach
Hotel, Kansas City, Mo.
Thursday, February 7
6:30 p.m. - 4-H Beef and
Lamb Club banquet,
Farm and Home Center,
Lancaster.
7:00 p.m. - Eastern Lan
caster County Adult
Farmers welding course,
Garden Spot High School
vo-ag department.
7-30 p.m. - Manheim Young
Farmers Farm Wiring
Seminar no. 6
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BY HWHfNCI W ALTHOUSf
IBUSItS
V**H hlwil Immm
THE COUNSELOR
Lcmm far February 1,1074
DavaUantT fttaainat John lfcu.34
“Live.’’ uld someone, "is if
Jesu* were your constant compan-
Undcrstandabiy, most of us
would And It easier to live as
food Christians if Jesus lived in
our neighborhood or our homes
We would doubt
glcss ail be more
careful in keep
ing his teachings
and following his
example Most of
us do better in al
most anything
when we are un
der scrutiny of
Rev. Althouse some kind
Not only would
the daily presence of Jesus give
more incentive, but we would
also probably make more use of
his help in meeting our daily
situations We would be able to
turn to him for advice and coun
selmg Ail of us probably have a
number of important questions
we would want to ask him
“I will not (save you desolate"
We can imagine then how the
disciples must have felt as they
began to realize that Jesus was
going to be leaving them soon
That day by day contact, its many
opportunities for learning and
counseling—all these would, it
seemed, be lost in that event
How could they possibly learn to
do without this man who had be
come seemingly essential to their
lives’
Yet, he promised T will not
leave you desolate ”(14 18)
To take his place, God would
send “another Counselor ”
(1416) Although Jesus was to
be, taken physically from them.
God was going to provide another
source of counsel and inspiration
‘But the counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, he will teach you
all things and bring to your re
membrancc all that I have said
to you” (14 26)
Obviously, the “new" Counselor
God was sending would be differ
ent from Jesus in that he would
be Spirit instead of physical
Given their choice, the disciples
probably never would have been
willing to give up Jesus in the
flesh That’s human nature Yet
this spiritual Counselor from God
would have advantages over the
fleshly Jesus He would not have
the limitations of a physical body
which can only be in one place
at a time and is limited Further
more, this Counselor was to “be
with you forever" (14 16)
“And I in you”
The Counseloi God was sending
in place of the fleshly Jesus was
to be within his disciples “
for he dwells with you, and will
be in you” (14 17) They will not
have to search for this new Coun
selor, for he will be as close as
their own hearts “If a man loves
me, he will keep my word, and
my Father will love him, and we
will come to him and make our
home with him” (14 23)
We need not, then, hypothetic
ally imagine what life would be
like if Jesus were present, for, as
John's Gospel makes it clear he
is present, very present m our
lives if we will acknowledge him
Jesus does not have to “come
back” in the flesh, for the Coun
selor within can do all and more
for those who will acknowledge
him
(losed on outlines capynthtcd by the
Division of Christian Education Notional
Council of tho Churches of Christ in tho U S K
Released by Community Prats Service)
7:30 p.m. - Farm Income Tax
hints and Penn State
Farm Records program,
Owen J. Roberts High
School vo-ag room.
Friday, February 8
7:00 p.m. - Glenn Rock 4-H
club meeting, Com
munity Building, Glenn
Rock.
7:00 p.m. - Pennsylvania
Egg Marketing
Association meeting,
Colonial Motor Lodge,
Denver, Penna.
Saturday, February 9
Feb. 9-16 - 19th Annual
Eastern Sports, Boat,
Camping and Outdoor
Show, Farm Show
Budding, Harrisburg.
IF